Hundreds of law firms had been working with General Motors over the years, according to executive vice president and general counsel Craig Glidden, who said that was far too many. Inspired by CEO Mary Barra's mission to change how GM does business, he and a team of in-house lawyers found a way to whittle down the number of firms the company uses and make sure those firms reflect GM values.

“I think she has really led a transformation of the company in dealing with the future of mobility, whether that be dealing with electric vehicles or autonomous vehicles,” Glidden said of Barra during an interview on Tuesday.

Glidden said as much as the legal department wanted good business partners, he also wanted to make sure the firms fit in with the culture of the company.